Use Your Loaf As Your Diet

By Sarah Howden

IT was hailed as the revolutionary diet that quickly shed pounds and transformed physiques in weeks. And it seemed so simple: gorge on red meat, shellfish, cheese and eggs and watch the weight fall off.

Soon everyone was doing it, from Hollywood A-listers to the average woman – and man – on the street, and the humble loaf of bread was seen as the route of all love-handle evil.

Rewind a few years and it was all about the Atkins Diet. But, following various health scares, the slimming plan – which avoided most carbohydrates – fell out of favour. Now, it’s back on the menu, only this time with that side-order of bread.

The All-New Atkins Advantage Diet is said to offer the same weight loss as the old programme – without the health worries. The plan aims to take dieters into the same state of ketosis, where the body is starved of carbohydrates, as this condition allows the body to break down its own fat. However, the new 12-week programme, which is split into four stages, allows for increasing amounts of carbs.

“Yes, some foods are still off-limits in the earlier phases of the new diet,” says US author, Dr Stuart Trager. He wrote the new diet book with Collette Heimowitz, and both are affiliated to the firm Atkins Nutritionals.

“But there is room for healthy carbohydrates. The [new] exercise plan means you can have a slice of bread with your salad if you do stick to the workouts.”

For the first fortnight, the rules advise dieters to eat only 20g of net carbohydrates (carbs minus protein), made up of foods such as seeds and berries. This is the equivalent of less than a slice of bread. Then, during the “ongoing weight loss” this allowance rises to between 30g and 60g, and includes options such as oatmeal, brown rice and wholemeal bread. When thin enough, the “life maintenance phase” allows white bread, sandwiches and desserts – of a maximum 120g of carbs a day.

“The original diet seemed to work to reduce weight but the issue was whether it was healthy,” says Edinburgh GP Dean Marshall. “There were a lot of concerns of the long-term health of such dieters due to the high amount of saturated fats consumed. The problem remains with the high level of saturated fats endorsed. Another problem I saw with clients was when they had reached their target weight and tried to transfer back to a normal diet. It wasn’t as clear-cut as people initially thought.”

Nutritionist Louisa Johnston, of Tonic Health in Leith, agrees. “The Atkins Diet is not for everyone,” she explains. “You lose weight quickly, but the process can put some strain on your system.

“The theory behind Atkins is that a high-protein, low- carbohydrate diet forces your body to burn its fat stores to provide energy. When your body burns fat instead of carbohydrate, you’ll lose weight more quickly. Meanwhile, cutting out carbohydrates means your blood sugar level remains more stable throughout the day, so preventing overeating.”

She continues: “It greatly reduces your exposure to nutrient- rich foods, such as fruit and whole grains. Nutrient deficiency is much more common in our society than most would believe, and diets such as Atkins don’t resolve this at all. This can lead to a feeling of being hungry.”

Which is exactly what 30-year-old recruitment consultant Helen White from South Queensferry experienced. Every single day. She recalls: “I tried it as everyone else was doing it and the magazines were full of pictures of stars such as Renee Zellweger transforming their figures in a matter of weeks.

“At first it was great as I could gorge on steaks and endless supplies of cheese, but after a couple of weeks I felt sick, dizzy and lethargic. I lost about a stone in those two weeks, taking me down to nine stone but after that I found it really difficult. And, when I reached my target weight of eight stone and introduced carbs again the weight piled back on.”

According to Emma Conroy of Edinburgh Nutrition, while the original Atkins Diet did work for some, others gained weight along with digestive problems as a side-effect. She explains: “For people that process calories quickly, known as fast oxidisers, protein and fat keep them going longer, while carbohydrates get quickly stored, leaving them tired, hungry, and a little bit fatter. Atkins was great for them.

“Carbohydrates, however, work well for slow oxidisers, who feel tired and sluggish if they eat fats and protein, and Atkins was never going to work. Then there are mixed oxidisers who need to eat a combination of carbs, fats and proteins.”

She continues: “The original Atkins Diet wasn’t as unhealthy as many people think, but one of the chief complaints was that it can be difficult to sustain. The new version, with more carbohydrates, will probably be more sustainable, as well as being more suitable for metabolisms that require more carbohydrate.

“Allowing more vegetables throughout [the original Atkins Diet limits fruit and veg in the induction phase] addresses another bugbear – constipation.

“The average carb intake is about 300g, so the maintenance phase allows just under half that. 120g is around three slices of bread, medium thickness.”

According to chartered health psychologist Dr Kerri McPherson, a former lecturer at the Capital’s Queen Margaret University, such diets are bound to fail.

“Restricting food intake is more likely to lead to people being overweight and lead to disinhibition when a diet is broken,” says Kerri. “That cycle through restraint and disinhibition usually results in weight gain. People who diet cycle usually get stuck in a rut where one week they may have lost a couple of pounds, then give up the diet and put it back on again. We see dieting very much as a short-term fix rather than seeing it as a long-term solution.”

So what’s the answer? Professor Alexander Gardener, a Scottish chartered psychologist and adviser on ITV’s Fat Club, says it all comes down to a sensible balanced diet – and exercise.

“Many people make the mistake of thinking that weight loss is about eating less, but it’s not,” he says. “Starving yourself lowers your metabolic rate, whereas exercise raises it. If you want to lose fat, you have to burn it – it’s that simple.

“Regardless of how it may feel, the ability to lose or gain weight is within our control,” he adds. “It comes down to habit rather than physiology and although it is a complex issue, if you change your belief, you can change your behaviour.”

Emma agrees: “I don’t think this is the answer to the obesity epidemic. Sugar, refined carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, processed foods loaded with trans fats, combined with inactivity are the real culprits.

“The truth is that protein is much more satisfying than carbohydrate, and essential fats like omega 3s in oily fish are needed for a healthy metabolism. That’s why making sure you’re getting enough of the right fats can actually help you lose weight.”

But all are in agreement that variety is the spice of life – especially in a diet. And Dr Dean Marshall warns: “Atkins does seem to have pretty quick results and this is its edge. But it’s not the answer to everything, and I’d say there are only short-term gains.”

“I agree,” adds Helen. “It was very upsetting to quickly put on weight, but as soon as I started eating a variety of foods I felt so much better. My skin improved, my hair improved and I had so much more energy. I’m back down to nine stone and this was down to a long- term approach to healthy eating. And the weight has stayed off.”

(c) 2008 Evening News; Edinburgh (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.